Ventilation insert for headwear

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a ventilation insert or liner for headwear. The ventilation insert or liner is comprised of a top edge, bottom edge, a backside extending between the top edge and bottom edge, and a front side opposite the backside. The front side has at least one ventilation structure, such as a tube, extending between the top edge and the bottom edge that increases air flow (i.e., ventilation) from a cool area (e.g. below the brim of a hat) to the inside of the headwear. The ventilation insert or liner may comprise a plurality of ventilation structures. The plurality of ventilation structures may comprise a plurality of apertures to increase air flow. The back side may comprise a connection material to affix the vent insert or liner to the inside of the headwear. The ventilation insert or liner may alternatively be inserted into a sweatband found on the inside of most hats.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to a ventilation for headwear, and, more particularly, to a vent insert for headwear to provide increased ventilation to a user.

Background Information

Headwear, such as, for example, hats, caps and visors, are often fitted with a sweatband to prevent head sweat from rolling down a user's forehead and soiling the fabric of the headwear. Typically, the sweatband is permanently affixed to the inside of the headwear, but some are removable and replaceable with the headwear. Without the sweatband, the sweat will be absorbed by the fabric of the headwear and will, overtime, stain and eventually destroy the headwear. Even with a sweatband, sweat caused by heat may still persist because of a lack of proper ventilation within the headgear.

Thus, a need exists for headwear that provides increased ventilation to a user's head while protecting the user and the attached headwear from the effects of accumulated sweat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the present invention satisfies the need for providing increased ventilation to a user's head. In short, a ventilation insert or liner for headwear constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention is provided to improve ventilation to a user's head.

In accordance with the above, it is an object of the present invention to improve headwear ventilation through at least one vent structure attached to an insert or liner for headwear to increase airflow.

The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a device for increasing the ventilation capabilities of a hat.

The present invention provides, in a second aspect, reduced perspiration that accumulates on a hat wearer's forehead through a headwear insert or liner that improves ventilation.

These, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinafter and from the accompanying drawings of the certain embodiments of the present invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention, but are for explanation, illustration and understanding only.

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a prior art hat;

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of another prior art hat;

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of another prior art hat;

FIG. 4A depicts a front view of one embodiment of a ventilation insert or liner constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 4B depicts a back view of the ventilation insert or liner illustrated in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 depicts a top view of the ventilation insert or liner illustrated in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6 depicts a bottom view of the ventilation insert or liner illustrated in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-sectional view of the hat shown in FIG. 2 with a ventilation insert or liner constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention coupled thereto;

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of a ventilation insert or liner constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention being inserted into a hat; and

FIG. 9 depicts a front view of another embodiment of a ventilation insert or liner constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be discussed hereinafter in detail in terms of various exemplary embodiments according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures are not shown in detail in order to avoid unnecessary obscuring of the present invention.

Thus, all implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” or “example”, and derivatives thereof, means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” or “example”, and derivatives thereof, is not necessarily and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, in the present description, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1.

Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. While this invention is satisfied by embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail, one or more embodiments of the present invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as exemplary of the principles and aspects of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of a ventilation insert or liner constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention for a baseball hat. Although the illustrated example shown and described herein is application with a baseball hat, a removable insert constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention may be removably used with a wide variety of headwear, including, but not limited to, baseball hats, golf hats, sombreros, fishing hats, cowboy hats, catcher's masks, football helmets, lacrosse helmets, biker's hats, hunting hats, baseball helmets, fedoras, top hats, army helmets, and the like.

Various examples of existing baseball or golf hats 100, 200 and 300 are illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. As shown in these examples, a typical baseball or golf hat generally includes panels 110, a bill 120 and a crown 130. Panels 110 are typically the main part of a hat that actually form the hat. For example, the rounded structure of a baseball hat that generally confirm to the top of a user's head is constructed by joining a number of these panels by sewing them with a suitable thread. Normally, five or six sections (and sometimes upon to eight) of panels 110 are sewn together. In some examples, the closure of a hat around a user's head includes an adjustment strap 170 (e.g. shown in FIG. 3) on the back panels for adjusting to a user's head size. In these examples, there is generally a half-circle opening to allow for adjustment of the strap. Most common straps used are, for example, buckle, plastic or Velcro® closures. Advances in the materials used to make hats have led to the “stretch-fit” hat to allow a hat to have a fitted style while still being flexible and stretch to fit multiple head sizes. Some hats also include a button 140 at the top of the hat. Typically, a button 140 is a cosmetic feature to hide where the panels meet at the top of the hat.

Existing hats provide various types of limited ventilation for a user's head. In one example, back panels are made with, for example, a net-like mesh for extra ventilation, as shown in FIG. 1. In another example, a hat 200 may include eyelets or round holes 150 sewn or attached near the top of each panel 110, as shown in FIG. 2, or on the side of hat 300, as shown in FIG. 3. These eyelets 150 are meant to provide some ventilation to keep a user's head cool. Eyelets 150 may be holes in the fabric, bordered by a sewn edge or punched with small metal rivets. Typically, a side vented hat 300 may include two small eyelets 150 on each side while a top vented hat 200 typically has six small holes 150 in the top sections of the panels.

Bill 120 is generally constructed of two pieces of fabric with a piece of cardboard or plastic sandwiched in between. Most bills 120 can be curved to a user's liking and to their face. However, some bills are intended to remain flat based on style or preference.

Crown 130 is the front portion of a hat that touches a user's forehead. A typical crown 130 includes a base 132 that connects to a bill 120 and extends upwardly around or close to the contour of a user's forehead. There are, generally, two types of crowns 130, structured or unstructured. A structured hat has backing on the inside portion of the crown so that it holds its shape. An unstructured cap doesn't have any stiff backing so that the crown sits low and fits more to the shape of a user's head.

Most hats also include a sweatband (e.g. 160 in FIG. 1). Typically, sweatband is a cloth or fabric band that is permanently affixed to the inside of the hat at base 132 of crown 130 and completely circles the inside of panels 110. Sweatbands 160 are provided to catch sweat from dripping down a user's forehead and made from the same fabric as the hat.

There are some sweatbands available that may be removably attached to the inside of a hat. These types of sweatbands are focused on catching or absorbing more sweat or moisture than the typical sweatbands permanently affixed to the inside of hats. These sweatbands are inserted into the front portion of a hat and used to further reduce the amount of sweat running down the forehead and into a user's eyes or sunglasses. However, these existing sweatbands are not concerned with improving the ventilation within the interior of a hat to, for example, assist in reducing the amount of sweat created in the first place.

Referring to FIGS. 4-9, one embodiment of a ventilation insert or liner 400 constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention is illustrated. In this example, ventilation insert or liner 400 includes a back side 402 (see FIG. 4B) and a forehead side 404. Both back side 402 and forehead side 404 may be shaped with a curved portion to, advantageously, fit around the forehead of an individual user. In one example, the radii of curvature of back side 402 and forehead side 404 are substantially the same. Ventilation insert or liner 400 also includes a bottom edge 406 and a top edge 408.

In one embodiment, ventilation insert or liner 400 may include a plurality of vertical vents 420 extending from bottom 406 to top edge 408. In one example, vertical vents 420 may be tubular in shape. As illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, ventilation insert or liner 400 may comprise a plurality of vertical tubular vents 420 arranged by side along the entire width of headwear insert or liner 400. In this example, each vertical tubular vent 420 comprises capillary tubes that may be, for example, affixed to a smooth liner sheet 402 (see FIG. 5). In alternative embodiments, ventilation insert or liner 400 may include a number of spaced apart tubular vents separated by, for example, another material, such as, for example, plastic, elastic, fabric or absorbent material.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, each vertical vent 420 may include a first opening 422 open at bottom edge 406 and a second opening 424 open at top edge 408. First opening 422 and second opening 424 are in fluid communication by a passageway 430 extending therebetween. First opening 422 at bottom edge 406 may open, for example, under or proximate a bill 120 of a hat from a user's forehead to allow air to free-flow to the top, inside portion of a hat. Since the area under a bill 120 of the hat is shaded from the sun, the air in this area is cooler, especially when, for example, a golfer is riding in a golf cart or just walking. In this configuration, illustrated in FIG. 7, this cooler air, the flow of which is designated by “F”, will escape or pass in a higher pressure-temperature zone flow to a hotter air zone thru thermodynamics and aerodynamics inside the top portion of the hat. From there, air may pass out of the hat through, for example, the mesh fabric panels (e.g. FIG. 1) and/or eyelets 150 formed in panels 110 of the hats illustrated in FIGS. 2-3.

Referring to FIG. 6, a bottom view of one example of a portion of a headgear insert or liner 400 constructed in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention is shown. As illustrated, the shape of each individual circular tubular holes of vertical vents 420 allows for flexing (e.g. inward squeezing or compression) to provide a better fit or holding power on a user's head which current sweatbands do not accommodate.

As shown in FIG. 9, ventilation insert or liner 400 may comprise a plurality of vertical tubular vents 420 arranged by side along the entire width of headwear insert or liner 400 with at least one aperture along at least one of the vertical tubular vents 420. In this example, each vertical tubular vent 420 comprises plastic-shaped straws that comprise a plurality of tubular vent apertures 930 (see FIG. 9). Each tubular vent aperture 930 may comprise a circular aperture to allow air flow to pass through. Alternatively, various aperture shapes, quantities and/or configurations along the plurality of vertical tubular vents 420 may be useful.

Ventilation insert may be removably coupled to the inside of a hat as, for example, a standard crown insert between the existing sweatband 160 permanently affixed to the bottom edge and inside of hats and a user's forehead. In one example illustrated in FIG. 8, one or more circular hook or loop fasteners 810 can be affixed to back side of headwear insert to attach to a corresponding circular hook or loop fasteners affixed to the outer surface of the existing sweatband.

In another example, ventilation insert or liner 400 could be tucked in between the front crown panels and the existing sweatband permanently affixed to the bottom edge and inside of a hat. In an alternative embodiment, headwear insert may be removably coupled to the inside of hat by an adhesive. In this example, a backing paper is peeled off from at least a portion of back side to expose an adhesive affixed to back side. In this example, back side has an adhesive material to affix to, for example, a sweatband or headband or a hat. In other examples, ventilation insert may be removably coupled to the inside of a hat by, for example, a plurality of male/female snaps, different shaped hook and loop fasteners, button and hole fasteners, tacky attachment tape with adhesive on both sides, magnetic attachments, or any other known means of releasably or removably attaching headwear insert to the inside surface of a hat.

In another example, ventilation insert or liner 400 may include a sweatband 820 (as illustrated in FIG. 8) on the forehead side facing a user's forehead to provide additional sweat or moisture collection and added comfort. In this example, a sweatband may be made of an absorbent material and affixed to forehead side of headwear insert. Such an added sweatband would contact a user's forehead forming a seal that absorbs sweat or moisture and prevents it from flowing down into the user's eyes and other facial regions. In some examples, sweatband may be removably coupled to headwear insert to be cleaned and/or replaced with a new sweatband.

In another example, ventilation insert or liner 400 may noticeably display a hat's logo, symbol, trademark, or design positioned on a hat's crown. The ventilation insert or liner 400 allows for a structural vertical support for a hat that is positioned upright relative to the hat without the headwear insert or liner 400. The upright position increases the aesthetic appeal of the hat and increases air-flow through the headwear insert or liner 400. In this example, the headwear insert or liner is positioned such that the crown of the hat is formed to the structure of the ventilation insert or liner. As a result, the crown of the hat has a structure that may remove wrinkles, creases, or otherwise increase the appeal of the hat.

In another example, ventilation insert or liner 400 has a thickness that reduces any gaps between the hat and a wearer's forehead. In this example, the hat is loosely fit to the wearer's head without the headwear insert or liner 400. Ventilation insert or liner 400 bridges the gap between any discrepancies in dimensions of a person's head and the hat to create a snug fit for the hat wearer. Different thickness dimensions of the headwear insert or liner 400 may be useful to accommodate different size hats or desired fitting of a hat owner.

In another example, ventilation insert or liner 400 may contain additional features such as being crack resistant, odorless, durable, dust resistant, and/or weather resistant. The additional features may apply individually or in combination based, at least in part, on the materials used or the preferences of the hat owner.

A ventilation insert constructed in accordance one or more aspects of the present invention may be constructed and configured to restore, maintain or renew the crown shape or integrity of a hat. In other examples, ventilation insert may be include one or more of the following features and/or characteristics: environmentally friendly, odorless, dust proof, and/or weather resistant.

While several aspects of the present invention have been described and depicted herein, alternative aspects may be effected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such alternative aspects as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A ventilation insert for headwear, said ventilation insert comprising: a top edge, a bottom edge, a back side extending between the bottom edge and the top edge, a forehead side opposite the back side, the forehead side extending between the bottom edge and the top edge, and at least one vertical vent extending from the bottom edge to the top edge.
 2. The ventilation insert for headwear of claim 1, wherein said vertical vent includes a first opening at the bottom edge, a second opening at the top edge and a passageway extending therebetween.
 3. The ventilation insert for headwear of claim 1, said vent insert comprising a plurality of vertical vents extending from the bottom edge to the top edge.
 4. The ventilation insert for headwear of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of vertical vents including a first opening at the bottom edge, a second opening at the top edge and a passageway extending therebetween.
 5. The ventilation insert for headwear of claim 1, wherein said vent insert is configured to removably couple to said headwear, said headwear including a lower rim and an interior surface defining an interior space, wherein the first opening of said vertical vent is proximate the lower rim and the second opening is in fluid communication with the interior space of said headwear.
 6. The ventilation insert for headwear of claim 5, wherein the back side of said vent insert is configured to be removably coupled to at least the portion of the interior surface proximate the lower rim of said headwear.
 7. The ventilation insert for headwear of claim 6, wherein the back side of said vent insert is removeably coupled to the portion of the inner circumference of the base of the crown of said headwear by hook and look fasteners.
 8. A ventilation insert for aftermarket insertion into a hat of various kind, the hat including a plurality of panels forming an outer surface and an interior space having an inner surface, a crown formed by one or more of the plurality of panels in front of the hat, the crown including a base with a bottom rim and an inner circumference on the inner surface, and a bill extending from the bottom rim of the crown, said ventilation insert comprising: a top edge; a bottom edge; a back side extending between the bottom edge and the top edge, said back side configured to removeably couple to the inner circumference on the inner surface of the base of the crown of the hat; a forehead side opposite the back side and facing the interior space of the hat, said forehead side extending between the bottom edge and the top edge; a plurality of vertical vents, each of said plurality of vertical vents including a first opening at the bottom edge, a second opening at the top edge and a passageway extending therebetween.
 9. The ventilation insert of claim 8, wherein the first opening is positioned proximate the bottom rim near the bill of the hat.
 10. The ventilation insert of claim 9, wherein the second opening is positioned within the interior space of the hat.
 11. The ventilation insert of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of vertical vents are tubular.
 12. The ventilation insert of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of vertical vents are tubular straws.
 13. A ventilation insert for headwear to increase ventilation, the vent insert comprising: a top edge; a bottom edge; a back side; a front side; and at least one ventilation structure, said at least one ventilation structure extending between said tope edge and said bottom edge.
 14. The ventilation insert of claim 13, wherein the at least one ventilation structure is cylindrical and has at least one aperture along the length of the cylinder.
 15. The ventilation insert of claim 13, wherein the at least one ventilation structure is positioned on the front side and the back side is comprised of a connection material to connect the back side of the vent insert to an inside crown of headwear.
 16. The ventilation insert of claim 13, wherein the vent insert is interchangeable between two or more headwear devices.
 17. The ventilation insert of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of ventilation structures that are aligned parallel to each other and positioned on the front side, wherein the plurality of ventilation structures substantially extends between the top edge and bottom edge.
 18. The ventilation structure of claim 17, wherein the plurality of ventilation structures are spaced apart to flex evenly around any forehead shape.
 19. The ventilation insert of claim 13, wherein the at least one ventilation structure is comprised of a first opening in fluid communication with a second opening.
 20. The ventilation insert of claim 19, wherein the first opening is positioned proximate to the brim of a hat, and the second opening is positioned within the headwear. 